Britain’s ‘most woke’ £2m roundabout, reminiscent of Dutch design and requiring a comprehensive three-minute instruction video, is set to be unveiled next week in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. The innovative roundabout, still underway, champions cyclist safety with its dedicated spaces distinctly separate from motorised traffic.
Scheduled for a June 6 launch, the scheme has stirred local debate over its ‘inclusive route’ aimed at both cyclists and walkers. It’s snagged the title of Britain’s ‘most woke’ roundabout due to an uncommon hierarchy of road user rights, where drivers are obliged to yield to pedestrians first, then cyclists, followed by their four-wheeled counterparts.
Critics, predominantly locals, argue the pro-cyclist and pedestrian emphasis is superfluous on Boundary Way, a route mainly traversed by cars and lorries.
The roundabout’s complexity and potential to baffle have sparked Hertfordshire County Council into action, producing a CGI guide on how to negotiate it. Highlighted in the elaborate video, cyclists are reminded to yield to pedestrians and maintain vigilance around cars, in spite of having their own designated track.
Moreover, the instructional visuals clarify that vehicles, including lorries, are required to concede priority to cyclists and pedestrians when entering or departing the roundabout. Online commentators have not held back, with one individual remarking: “For cyclists heading to, or coming off of, the M1, this is money well spent.” Conversely, another commented: “That’s going to be carnage at rush hour. Literally eyes needed everywhere.
“Assuming anyone uses it. I don’t like the idea of braking when exiting the roundabout to give way to pedestrians.” The newfangled roundabout has already been dubbed a ‘disaster waiting to happen’ by worried locals, echoing concerns over another Dutch-style traffic feature on Fenton Road in Cambridge.
Shocking statistics have surfaced in 2023, indicating an increase in collisions at the recently built Fenton Road roundabout – with ten crashes recorded from 2020 to 2023, as opposed to just six incidents in the three years prior to its construction. One Herts resident expressed dismay at the alterations: “There was a perfectly usable roundabout already there. Now they’ve pimped it up at great cost – what a joke.”
Echoing this sentiment, another local simply stated: “A disaster waiting to happen.” In a push for greener travel, Active Travel England – serving as the government’s arm for boosting walking, cycling and wheeling – has financed the controversial Herts roundabout. To date, the UK plays host to a trio of these Dutch-inspired roundabouts; the pioneer opened up in Cambridge in 2020, Sheffield welcomed one in December 2024, and Chichester launched its own in February 2025.